Description
Flambeaux was founded by Art Murray, an environmental lawyer from Mississippi. Looking to create an estate which produced world-class Cabernet, Zin and Chardonnay, he settled in the Sonoma Dry Creek Valley. Here, in a landscape full of famous neighbours he has made an electrically interesting vineyard. Ryan Prichard is the winemaker, ex Williams Selyem and the current consultant at Three Sticks. Art is accompanied by his celebrity dog Stella, a former centrespread for the Dogs of Napa magazine. A young vineyard with a great crop of releases sofar, we are delighted to be working with them in the UK.
The Flambeaux Sonoma Coast Chardonnay expresses a wonderful balance of rich, ripe fruit with a hint of minerality. Hints of butterscotch crème brûlée lend a gentle frame to pear, honeysuckle, and lemon curd with a pleasing tang of clean slate. The long, nuanced finish invites more sips. The Flambeaux Sonoma Coast Chardonnay comes from two world-class vineyards owned by the Sangiacomo family, one of Sonoma County’s original (and leading) grape-growing families. Located near the Petaluma Gap, the Roberts Road Vineyard is characterized by cool temperatures and coastal fogs. The block is planted with the Dijon clone 95, a variety ideally suited for even the coolest climates and which adds a sparkling minerality and a green apple component to the blend. The Kiser Vineyard is situated farther inland in southwestern Sonoma and is planted with the Wente clone, a cultivar that contributes bright acidity balanced with the concentrated and weighty stone fruit flavors.
"The 2019 Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyards is youthfully shy, its singular aromas of apricot, elderflower, green herbs, beeswax and almonds taking plenty of time to unfold. It's more coiled yet more defined than its 2018 counterpart, and its ripe, peachy flavors come into sharper focus on the palate. Streaked with flinty tones and energized by shimmery acidity, this Chardonnay has plenty more to offer with additional bottle aging, and its purity suggests it may ultimately eclipse its 2018 counterpart. 253 cases were made." Erin Brooks, the Wine Advocate, 2023-2033, July 14th 2022